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GuildWiki2:Elections
The only elections that are usually scheduled are to elect and fill bureaucrat seats, with a term of 12 months. The process here is an advisory election based on approval voting mixed with disapproval voting. Any special elections or elections with deviations from these rules should first have an explicit community consensus. Stage 0: Preparation A subpage of this page should be created (this can be done by any contributer in good standing), the subpage should be named in the folowing format GuildWiki2:Elections/'_', e.g. "GuildWiki2:Elections/2008-05 bureaucrat election". The subpage should ten be added to the list of open elections (which is located at the bottom of the page). The subpage should contain the following information before any of the election stages (except for stage zero) start: * How many positions need to be filled. * The type of position that needs to be filled. * The starting and ending term dates for each position. * A link back to this page, so that the rules of the election are known. * A list of stages, with starting and ending dates and times for each. * A section titled "List of candidates" (should be empty at this stage empty). All dates/times should be given in UTC (and interpreted as UTC if left ambiguous). Whenever a stage end date is changed to arrive sooner (through consensus), it should generally be set at least 3 days later than the time of that decision. This stage should be set to last 3 days. Stage 1: Nominating candidates Any registered user, in good standing, may be nominated as a candidate by creating a candidate subpage at GuildWiki2:Elections/'/' and adding a link to the list on the election subpage. Self-nominations are allowed. The form and updating of this page is mostly up to the candidate, and might contain a candidate statement, Q&A, etc. General discussion should go on its talk page. These are not allowed (and should be removed): * IP accounts running as candidates * Contributers that are not in good standing, running as canidates. * New candidates after this stage Candidates who are nominated by another user must indicate a clear acceptance or declination before stage 2. This stage should be set to last 4 days. Stage 2: Discussion Users are encouraged to ask questions of the candidates regarding their candidacy and suitability and the candidates are expected to answer these queries in a timely fashion. Users on both sides are expected to give convincing arguments as to the suitability of a candidate and to debate the relative merits of various candidates. These reasons and arguments may be used as a means of persuading other users to change their position. In addition, these discussions play an important role in determining elections with very close vote tallies. While informed criticisms (preferably backed up by links to evidence) are welcomed, unwarranted personal attacks are not. Candidates are allowed to campaign for themselves during this stage. At the end of this stage, all major points of the discussion should be listed on the subpage for consideration in voting. This stage should normally be set to last 3 days to 7 days. Stage 3: Voting Regular editors under a registered account may add one supporting vote for one candidate by signing their name in the appropriate section on candidate subpages. They may alos add one disapproval vote for each candidate by signing their name in the appropriate section on candidate subpages, subject to the conditions listed below: * A user cannot vote more than once for a canidate. * A user cannot add a supporting vote for more than one candidate. * IP votes are not accepted. * Proxy votes (i.e. helping another to cast a vote) are not accepted. * Votes from known sockpuppet accounts are not accepted. * Votes cast before or after this stage are not accepted. * Voting eligibility cannot be transferred or exchanged. These are explicitly allowed: * A candidate may vote for himself or herself. * A user may change or withdraw their votes during this stage (but not after). * A user need not make a vote for all candidates. To support a candidate, sign your support onto that candidate's subpage. Supporters are encouraged to give a reason for their vote on the talk page, to lend credence or weight to their decision. Similarly, to oppose a candidate, sign your opposition on that candidate's subpage. An explanation for the disapproval on the talk page is also encouraged. Although this stage, unlike Stage 2, is not exclusively for discussion, discussion and campaigning, as outlined above, can and should continue during this stage. Any questions that were not addressed during Stage 2 can be addressed in continued discussion on the talk pages. This stage should normally be set to last 7 days. Stage 4: Deciding winners Winners are decided upon by the results of the voting in stage 3. The candidate with the highest positive vote tally is considered the winner. If there are multiple terms to be filled, the longest term goes to the highest ranking winning candidate and so on down the line. A vote tally is defined as the difference between the amount of supporting votes (positive) and opposing votes (negative). If, at the end of stage 3, several candidates have an equal vote tally, a runner-off vote is held between those candidates. In that vote, different to stage 3, each voter only has 1 vote. Stage 4 is expanded to 7 days to allow for voting. If no candidate has a positive vote tally at the end of stage 3, a new election should be started immediately beginning from stage 0. Only if no new candidates enter the election, the positive vote balance requirement is lifted. This stage should normally be set to last 1 day. Current open elections